I love taking photos and recently decided that I want to become a photographer. Right now the camera that I have is just a digital Nikon CoolPix L3. I plan on getting something better once I get the funds.

The fact you said taking photos as opposed to pictures is a good start.

At this point I suggest you immerse your self in shooting. Then shoot some more. Post photos for critique. Study the technical aspects of photography then shoot some more. Learn the technical aspects until they become second nature. Then shoot some more. Always be shooting and think about developing your style. Ultimately your personal style is your calling card. Always be thinking about it and always be developing it.

After years of shooting decide what field of photography you would like to get into. Move to LA or NYC and start assisting.

Craig, Thank you for the advice. You are the ONLY person who has been kind in the advice given. I plan to take tons of photos and hope to get some opinions, advice, and tips. I have several photos up right now. I know they are not any where near great standards and I am just starting off. Right now I am using just a $150 camera and plan to upgrade once I get the funds and feel that I am ready.

If there are no photography classes near where you live try taking some art classes at your local community college. a course in 2-dimensional design would help many of those who post on here to improve their work. even though I am a physicist I have a number of art credits, it helps.

there is a lot that can be learned by reading in here and on many of the other photo oriented sites.

If you serious about photography as a career and a business, TAKE BUSINESS COURSES. I don't think that can be overemphasized. It's great to immerse yourself in the technical and artistic side of photography, but if you want to be successful, you have to understand business and what goes into making a business profitable. It's not enough to be able to take a beautiful picture, if you can't be profitable at it, it will always just be a very expensive hobby. Good luck!

If you serious about photography as a career and a business, TAKE BUSINESS COURSES. I don't think that can be overemphasized. It's great to immerse yourself in the technical and artistic side of photography, but if you want to be successful, you have to understand business and what goes into making a business profitable. It's not enough to be able to take a beautiful picture, if you can't be profitable at it, it will always just be a very expensive hobby. Good luck!

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Small business marketing is common sense. Taking business classes are generally a waste of time. In a market like LA or NY your work is key. Other areas.. try SEO.

While I am not a pro by any stretch, the biggest factors will be taking a lot of pictures to make yourself better & to learn basic composition theory. You can also learn a lot by looking at the work of photographers that you admire.

If you do go out on your own at some point, you will have to learn about marketing and SEO (starting your own site is one thing; marketing it is an entirely different beast). You can take a look at what some top photographers are doing in the social media fields, for example, to get some clues as to what works).